hold me close and hold me fast
by you-are-my-story
Summary: One shot A/U from mid season three. If the Shooting Star storyline happened during season three prior to Prom-asaurus. Just some Finn/Rachel in dire circumstances.


hold me close and hold me fast

A/N: For all of you that read my other fic I know I suck, BIG TIME. I promise you the next chapter is in progress I just wan to plan out the next few chapters before first. In the meantime, I got this clanging in my head (and my heart) that told me I needed to crank this one-shot out so this is how this happened :) Hope you enjoy! Reviews are always appreciated!

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of its characters. Title comes from the song La Vie En Rose.

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><p>Finn's POV<p>

Prom. It was coming up again and here we were going over some ideas for some numbers and honestly every idea blows. Like blows chunks. Everywhere.

"Let's go all out with Bieber!" he hears Sugar call from the back. He literally feels his eyes roll back into his head and the urge to allow his body to lean back far enough in his chair to fall back. Where is Rachel? She was pushy as hell (though he loved her for it anyway) but she could at least wrangle everyone to actually agree on a good idea (even it was just to shut her up). It worked nonetheless. She's never been this late before. Just as he ponders this thought…

BANG.

There's a beat of silence before chaos erupts and everyone scatters towards the wall parallel to the hallway. He feels himself trip on his own feet several times before making it against the wall. Just as he feels he can try to catch his breath, he remembers. Rachel. She was out there, somewhere, alone.

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><p>Rachel's POV<p>

She honestly thought theses days were over. The getting slushied. Well, the randomness of it anyway. By now, it had become more of an occurrence when glee had come back less victorious than they previously were, like losing nationals (though she's still never regret that kiss). She vigorously rubs at the pink material of her polka dotted dress to find the red color actually spreading more. Great, as if the act of getting cold syrupy ice thrown in your face by Neanderthals with no warning wasn't bad enough, one of her favorite dresses was ruined. Just as she turns off the water and surrenders to the stain and head to glee she hears it.

BANG.

She looks up from the faucet and stares wide-eyed at the restroom door. She slowly backs into the stall behind her and closes the stall. She plants her feet on the toilet seat and crouches down. She feels herself begin to shake uncontrollably. It sinks in. She is alone, in a bathroom stall, after a gunshot just went off. She saw this scene in the movies. She was always the first to die. The pretty, petite girl thinking she's safe in a locked stall crouching on a toilet… about to get shot after the shooter slowly walks into the bathroom and them kicks in every stall till he gets to her.

Her breathing gets heavy and she covers her mouth. Then she remembers… Finn. What if that gunshot came from the choir room? What if someone stormed in and fired a shot and it hit Finn? What if he was on the floor where they practiced countless routines bleeding out? Suddenly the thought caused her breathing and her shaking to become even more erratic.

She feels as if she's been siting there for hours. Her tears continue to stream down her face and her chest get tight. She catches a glimpse of her engagement ring and begins to rub her thumb over the band. She tries to tell herself she will be all right. That Finn will be all right. That they would both get out of this intact and go to prom, graduate, get married, and live happily ever after in a shoebox apartment in New York City. She repeats this in her head like a mantra, or even a prayer.

She hears the creak of the bathroom door and is snapped out of her safe haven her mind created. She holds her breath as she hears the footsteps approach the stalls.

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><p>Finn's POV<p>

He feels sick. He really feels like his chest is shrinking and he can't breathe. He can't breathe knowing his fiancée could be freaking out, alone or worse, held hostage as a bargaining chip or even shot and dying in front of her lockers. With that thought, the image took over his brain and all he could see was Rachel's lifeless body, her books scattered around her, a bullet hole with her red blood pouring out, her pink cheeks draining to a sallow green.

With that final piece of the picture flooding his mind, he leaps up to head for the door only to be tackled to the ground by Mr. Shue. Just as he tries to open his mouth to protest, Santana slides over to clamp a hand over his mouth.

"What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to put a big flaming target on your back and our backs?!" Santana yell whispers as she peers down at him.

He struggles out of Mr. Shue's grasp and backs away from them back to the wall.

"I have to find Rachel! She's probably out there all alone, freaking out."

"Finn, you can't do that. Rachel's probably fine, she probably made it to a classroom and is doing what we are suppose to doing right now," Mr. Shue says in a steady voice.

He almost wants to listen to him and just believe that Rachel is okay. But, he can't. It's Rachel. He literally can't breathe normally without her. And even if there is the slightest chance that she is in need of rescuing, there was no way in hell he was sitting here like a sitting goose. With one look around the room he tries to appear relaxed, slumping his shoulders as much as his tense body will allow and with one big push off the ground he sprints to the door hearing the low protests of his teammates and friends behind him.

As soon as he's out the door he tries to move to a light footstep (as much as his gigantic body would allow). He begins to head to Rachel's locker. Just as he rounds the corner ever so carefully he sees it. Red. It was on the floor in front of her locker as well as dripping from her locker. He begins to feel his body shut down piece by piece as he slowly approaches closer.

The image becomes clearer then. The color looks diluted and he realizes what it is. Cherry slushy. He lets a strangled breath of relief and begins to piece together the event that occurred and he knows. He knows where she is.

He is in front of the girl's bathroom, then and slowly begins to push it in. It lets out a creak and he cringes at the noise. He slips in and slowly steps toward the stalls.

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><p>Both POV<p>

She closes her eyes. She can't bear to look at the feet that the footsteps belong to. She wills herself to think of those she loves, wanting the last thing she sees before dying to be that of the faces of those who she loves.

He looks at the bottom of the stalls and doesn't see any feet but notices one appears to be locked. He can't be one hundred percent sure but he takes a chance and huskily calls her name… "Rachel?"

She thanks she is hearing things. She swears she just heard Finn's voice and wonders if that in picturing his face she began to hear his voice all well but then she hears it again. She opens she opens her eyes and looks down to see a familiar pair of ratty tennis shoes and releases a sigh of relief before calling out… "Finn?'

He hears her say his name and hears the lock open and in a quick blur, his tiny fiancée leaps into her arms breathing him in and he begins to breathe him in. She pulls back just far enough before kissing him hard on the mouth. She pulls back and he can feel her breath on his cheek and he sees mascara outline the rims of her eyes. He strokes her cheek and kisses her on the foreheads she remains wrapped around him.

She relishes in the moment for about a minute before remembering they are still in potentially fatal danger.

"Finn, how'd you know I was here? How did you get in here undetected?" she questions in a hushed tone as she plants her hands on his shoulders.

"Well once I got out of the choir room without being tackled by Mr. Shue, I headed for your locker. I saw the slushy liquid and I figured that if you got slushied you would head to the bathroom to try to clean yourself up. As for getting here, I just did my best stealth moves," he replied.

"Wait, you were safe? You were in a room that locked, safe with a faculty member and ten other students and you left?" she asks appalled at his recklessness.

"Yes Rach, I did because I couldn't sit still in there thinking you could be out there scared or worse shot."

She softens her gaze and pulls him into a hug once more before saying, "Thank you."

"Anytime."

"Now what? How are we going to get out of here Finn?" she asks looking at him like her knight and shining armor.

As if on cue, the PA system came on with an announcement, "Students and faculty of William McKinley High School, the school is no longer in lockdown. The grounds have been searched and the area is clear. Please assemble in the hallways to be escorted off campus by the law enforcement officers waiting at each corridor."

He looks down at her and smiles. He picks her up then and kisses her sweetly and he can feel her smile into the kiss and begin to meld to his body. He puts her down and takes her hand tightly and leads them out the bathroom door.

"Let's go home," he says as they enter into the crowd of students making their way down the hall.

She stops in her tracks and he stops once she pulls on his hand. He gives her a puzzled look. She smiles and tells him what she's always been meaning to tell him., especially now, "You're here with me. I am home."

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><p>AN: Did anyone catch the call back to The First Time? Please review :)


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